Reflection #3

Title of short story: Eleonora

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

1) The protagonist is Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar's desire in this short story is his cousin Eleonora, with whom he is in love with. He felt very in love with Eleonora, and was at peace whenever he was with her in the valley they used to spend time in together.

2) There is no antagonist in this story. The conflict Edgar has to deal with in this story is Eleonora's death. She was slowly dying, and at that time Edgar proposed to her because of his great love for her. He promised that she would be the only woman he would ever propose to and wish to marry. It wasn't much longer then that Eleonora passed away and just before she died she promised Edgar she would watch over him and let him know her presence in different ways. After her death, Edgar no longer viewed the world the same, and did not feel the joy of love he did when she was with him. The once joyous, beautiful valley they spent their time together in was now a dark place.

3) The theme of this story is love. The techniques used in order to develop this story were foreshadowing, details of surroundings, and symbolism.

4) The author's tone in the beginning of the story was joyful and loving, and then changed to fear, then sadness towards the end. The techniques that help develop Edgar's voice in this story are the constant use of detailing and symbolism.

5) The crisis action in this story is when Edgar and Eleonora both know her time of death is near and Edgar decides to propose to her. It seems that Edgar proposes to her not only because of his great love, but because Edgar wishes that he had done so sooner and that possibly some way his proposal to her will keep her alive for him. It feels like in this part of the story Edgar feels like he should have proposed sooner because of how hard he had fallen for her, despite the fact they are cousins, and that her death is almost like punishment for not doing so earlier. He didn't realize just how deep the love had gotten until he found out he won't have her around for much longer. Eleonora accepts Edgar's proposal anyway, and he promises to her that she will be the only woman he ever had intention of marrying. They both become saddened because they both know not much time is left.

6) What I enjoyed about this story the most was how Edgar showed a sort of before and after with his great detail. He described the valley him and Eleonora wandered constantly together with a great love for every single part of it. Each part he described with great detail, almost as if he was an artist. He wanted us to get the image of it perfectly, so that we can imagine just how beautiful it was to him. After Eleonora's death he did a great job with showing readers his extreme sadness over the loss of his loved one. His whole world, the valley, was turned upside down. Nothing was the same as before, and it seemed as though all that was once beautiful became dark and crude. Using "We had always dwelled together, beneath a tropical sun, in the Valley of the Many-Colored Grass. No unguided footstep ever came upon that vale; for it lay away up among a range of giant hills that hung beetling around about it, shutting out the sunlight from its sweetest recesses. No path was trodden in its vicinity; and, to reach our happy home, there was need of putting back, with force, the foliage of many thousands of forest trees, and of crushing to death the glories of many millions of fragrant flowers." then transitioning to "But let me on. -- Years dragged themselves along heavily, and still I dwelled within the Valley of the Many-Colored Grass; but a second change had come upon all things. The star-shaped flowers shrank into the stems of the trees, and appeared no more. The tints of the green carpet faded; and, one by one, the ruby-red asphodels withered away; and there sprang up, in place of them, ten by ten, dark, eye-like violets, that writhed uneasily and were ever encumbered with dew." had a great affect on me and I just fell in love with his use of detail of what he saw in his world to show the strength of his feelings for Eleonora.